Hancock followed Leo's playbook to the letter: Break their spirit first.
After turning the vast majority of the Marine crew into lifeless statues, she stood atop her sea serpent, chin tilted so high she was practically looking down her nose at the clouds.
"I see the Navy still has a few people with actual backbone," she said, her voice dripping with royal disdain. "Tell me, did you crawl into Amazon Lily's waters because you were looking for a war?"
The threat was naked. If Vice-Admiral Tsuru didn't provide a reason that satisfied her, the three women left standing—Tsuru, Gion, and Hina—would have to fight the entire Kuja nation alone.
Tsuru remained calm, but internally, she felt a flicker of regret. They had underestimated the Empress. The intelligence reports hadn't emphasized that her Love-Love Fruit worked just as effectively on women as it did on men. Bringing an all-female crew hadn't stopped the petrification; it had only changed the gender of the statues.
This girl was a nightmare. Between her fruit and her ability to traverse the Calm Belt, she was a direct threat to the security of Impel Down.
Tsuru raised a hand, stopping Gion and Hina from drawing their weapons. She forced a neutral smile. "Far from it. We've come to bring you a gift."
She pulled a roll of the World Economic Journal from her coat and tossed it across the water. Sandersonia caught it with a hand that was nearly as large as the newspaper itself.
The headlines were massive:
WORLD GOVERNMENT TO ISSUE SEVEN LICENSES FOR LEGAL PIRACY!
THE SEVEN WARLORDS SYSTEM REVEALED!
FOUR TITANS ALREADY CONFIRMED!
The list was a "Who's Who" of the most dangerous outlaws on the sea:
Donquixote Doflamingo, the 400-million-bounty monster.Jinbe, the "Knight of the Sea" and captain of the Sun Pirates.Gecko Moria, the master of shadows.Sir Crocodile, the Logia-user of the desert.
The credibility of the offer was absolute. In this era, the World Economic Journal was the ultimate authority. If Morgans printed it, it was law.
The Government was clearly desperate to stabilize the Grand Line before the "Great Pirate Era" spiraled completely out of control. They had already secured the first four; now they wanted the last three: Hancock, Mihawk, and Kuma.
"And what," Hancock asked, her eyes narrowing as she recalled Leo's predictions, "do I get out of this arrangement?"
"Total immunity," Tsuru replied, though the words tasted like ash in her mouth. As a Marine, admitting that a pirate could legally pillage was a profound humiliation. "You will have the right to raid any ship or nation not affiliated with the World Government. Even for member nations, as long as you avoid the 'Heavenly Tribute,' we will turn a blind eye."
Gion and Hina bristled at the statement. They were young, idealistic officers who couldn't stand the thought of compromising with a pirate. But Tsuru knew the reality. The Navy was spread too thin, and their Sea-Prism Stone technology was still in its infancy. They needed the Warlords to act as a barrier until the next generation of Marines was ready.
"I have conditions," Hancock declared, sensing her leverage. "First, no Navy vessel is permitted within five miles of Amazon Lily. If I see a seagull on my horizon, I will sink it."
Tsuru didn't even blink. "Agreed." In the Calm Belt, three miles or five miles made no difference.
"Second, if my people liberate any slaves belonging to the Celestial Dragons, the Navy will not pursue us."
Tsuru paused for a heartbeat, calculating. Dealing with angry Dragons was easier than losing an entire fleet to the Empress. "Agreed."
"Lastly," Hancock added with a smirk, "I will not be summoned. I will not follow the orders of the World Government."
This was a hollow demand, and Tsuru knew it. When the time came for a true crisis, the Government would use every lever they had to force the Warlords into line. But for now, to get these women back to their human forms and get the contract signed, she could afford to say yes.
"Very well," Tsuru said. "The terms are acceptable."
In that moment, the deal was struck. The Navy had "tamed" a pirate empress, and Leo had achieved his first major strategic goal: he had turned Amazon Lily into a legal sanctuary.
As the sun set over the Calm Belt, the Empress returned to her palace, a officially sanctioned Warlord of the Sea. And in the shadows, Leo began to smile. The shield was in place. Now, the real work could begin.